Johann Zarco has praised Honda’s new carbon fibre swingarm following his first outing with the upgraded component during the post-race MotoGP test at Aragon on Monday.
The French rider, who ended the day 17th fastest, focused more on testing than outright speed, with the main objective being to evaluate several technical components – most notably the carbon swingarm recently greenlit for race use by HRC test rider Aleix Espargaro.
“Many laps today,” Zarco said. “I was not able to do a big step in lap time, but that was not the target. The target was to try all these things. The biggest thing we have tried is the carbon swingarm, which was very interesting. We got a better performance with it.”
Zarco described the swingarm as the most impressive element tested and highlighted its impact on both acceleration and rear grip under braking. “We gained a lot in acceleration, but also on the braking, we have better control of the rear grip. Immediately, the lap time was better,” he explained.
Despite the clear performance benefits, Zarco confirmed the swingarm won’t be available immediately for race weekends. “I think it will be for the overseas races. So I need to wait a bit,” he added.
When asked about other updates to the RC213V, Zarco remained tight-lipped but hinted at promising developments. “We have tested things that we already tried in Jerez. It’s very technical, but I think it can open new doors. I hope it will give us an advantage for next year.”
The feedback suggests Honda may finally be making meaningful progress in its MotoGP development, with riders now seeing tangible improvements from new components.
